Byron

by KJ Dahlen

  “And how did he do that?” Sam asked.

  “He found Candy and sent her back to him.” Joe snarled. “Only problem was Dom had grown up and got smart about his wife. He knew she wasn’t there for him or the kids. All she wanted was the status of being beside him in the winners circle and the money from the racing purse. When Dom told her to keep walking, she got mad and sabotaged his engine.”

  “That wasn’t all she did Gramps and you know it,” Kelly argued. “Tell them all of it.”

  “Baby girl...” Joe hesitated. “I don’t want to bring the accident back. You don’t need the nightmares again.”

  Kelly got up and walked over to where Joe was standing. She cupped his cheek and looking him in the eyes she said, “Tell them everything Grandpa. I’m a big girl now. Maybe its time to face the truth.”

  Joe sighed deeply and nodded. “Yep, maybe its time we both faced the truth.” He looked over at Mountain and his brothers. “Candy not only sabotaged Dom’s engine that day, she loosened the lugs on one of his tires. When his engine began racing and wouldn’t stop the speed he was traveling vibrated the lugs completely off. His tire went one way and his car went straight in the wall. It burst into flames before the crews could reach him. He burned to death and there was nothing anyone could do as the fire burned too hot.”

  “You saw the accident and the fire didn’t you?” Byron finally asked.

  Kelly nodded. “Dad was coming into the pits when he lost the tire.”

  “Were you in the stands?” Mountain asked.

  Kelly turned her head and stared at him for a moment. She couldn’t speak as her throat was tightening with tears.

  It was Joe that told them, “No she wasn’t in the stands that day. She was part of Dom’s crew, so she was standing in the pits. He crashed almost right in front of her.”

  Chapter Six

  “Holy fuckin shit.” Someone swore as they realized she’s seen the accident up front and personal.

  Mountain glared at the old man. “What the hell was a kid doing in the pits in the fucking first place?”

  Joe shrugged. “She didn’t trust anyone else to be there for her dad. She had the clearance she needed to be there. She’s the one that heard the engine misfire. She called him back in for a checkup. Dom didn’t notice the engine trouble until a minute later. He was on his way back in when the lugs let go and he lost control. By that time, Kelly was dragging a fire extinguisher over to the ramp. She never expected him to crash that hard but the engine was still racing.

  Kelly nodded as she swiped at a tear. “It took them two weeks to find what she’d done and then the police were standing at her door. They rousted her out of bed at two in the afternoon. She wasn’t alone either. My dad just died and that whore was sleeping with the one man who hated him the most.”

  “Ted fuckin’ McGee,” Wes spit out. “I remember that. It even made the papers. The police dragging both of them out of the house. Your mom had a sheet wrapped around her while Ted was just in the underpants.”

  Kelly nodded. “I didn’t see the papers for years. Mom was convicted a few months after his death. Gramps packed us up and moved us here. Caden didn’t want to come but he was only five. He didn’t seem to care that dad wasn’t around anymore and he never remembered mom being there in the first place. He adjusted pretty well to the changing of the seasons. In Florida, we never got much for winter, not like it is up here.”

  “So why did you change your name?” Deke asked.

  Joe nodded at Kelly. “We came up here to start over, a fresh new beginning. Even back then, everyone knew the Abalone name. She needed to be able to forget.” He shook her head. “It took her a long time but eventually, she could get through the day without breaking down. Over time, she was almost happy again.”

  “And now your mom is out of prison and causing problems again. On top of that, your brother is bullying you for money.” Deke shook his head.

  Joe scratched his head and looked pensive for a moment.

  Byron noticed his unease and growled, “Spit it out old man. What aren’t you trying to tell us?”

  “Well, that’s just it isn’t it? Caden’s only her half-brother. He’s not Dom’s child but I’m not sure he knows it,” he finally admitted.

  Kelly didn’t really looked shocked by that statement so everyone there knew she knew the truth about him.

  “You knew this, didn’t you?” Byron asked her.

  Kelly nodded. “Yeah, I knew. The truth came out when he was in an accident when he was maybe ten? The doctors did a blood test on me in case he needed a blood transfusion. He was in pretty bad shape at the time. Our blood didn’t match. I mean it matched through mom’s side but not through dad’s side. They determined I couldn’t give him blood at any rate.” She shrugged. “It turned out that he didn’t need a transfusion anyway so it was no big deal. We just never told him about us only being related through our mom.”

  “Who do you think his dad is?” Sam asked.

  “Ted McGee,” Joe answered with no doubt in his voice at all.

  Someone whistled low in the back of the room.

  “Damn,” Mountain swore out loud. “What a fucking mess.”

  “Ted paid for a quickie divorce just days before Dom was killed. He was going to expose the whole freaking mess they had going, then Dom was killed and she was arrested for his death. Why she stayed I jail for so long is beyond me but she finally got paroled.”

  “She got out because you didn’t tell me she was trying to get parole or I would have been there to tell the panel what she’d done,” Kelly argued.

  “I didn’t want to bring it all back up again. You need to let it go.” Joe shook his head. “Nothing is gonna bring your dad back and if she knows being around hurts you, she’ll be around all the time. At least she didn’t get the Widow’s insurance. That’s all she wants here now, money that she shouldn’t get in the first place.”

  “So why did you give Caden the money?” Sam wanted to know.

  “Because no matter what, he’s still my brother,” Kelly told them. “He has been since the day he was born. And because my dad took him as his own.”

  “I think your dad knew the boy wasn’t his,” Joe reminded her softly. “But by then, it didn’t matter, not to Dom. He loved that boy like he was his.”

  “When did you realize Caden wasn’t part of Dom?” Sam asked.

  Joe shrugged. “I knew there was a reason she came back to Dom. She was already carrying him when they got back together. Dom was a sucker for taking her back but there wasn’t anything I could do about it.”

  “So the kid doesn’t know he isn’t Dom’s kid,” Mountain stated.

  “Not yet,” Kelly assured him. “But I don’t think Jack will keep that secret much longer. He wants to rub it in to Caden that he’s a bastard and that he’s been living a lie all these years. I think the only thing holding him back is the fact he knows he’s the brother Caden never knew he had and one he never wanted. If Caden knows the truth he’s going to demand half of everything from Ted.”

  “And Jack is one who doesn’t share well with anyone.” Mountain snorted. “Those two are more alike than they know. Ted made millions off the engine he stole from your dad and Jack likes to spend money.”

  “So what does your mom want then?” Sam asked.

  “I don’t know and I don’t care.” Kelly sighed.

  “I know,” Joe admitted. Shaking his head, he looked at Kelly. “I’m sorry baby, so sorry.”

  “About what?” Kelly frowned.

  “Your mom went to the racing commission and demanded her widow’s check as soon as she got out of prison. She told them she was getting her conviction overturned and expunged. She’s claiming there was evidence that wasn’t presented in court to prove her innocence.”

  “How do you know this?” Sam asked.

  “I still have friends in the commissioner’s office. I asked him to dig into her claim and that’s when he found the divorce papers. He tu
rned the papers over to the commissioner and they ruled they didn’t have to pay her the Widow’s Pension. I think she might be here to claim part of the patent on the engine your dad and I built. They were still legally married at that time.”

  “Don’t you dare give it to her! She should get nothing. If she was already married to Ted McGee, then her marriage to my father wasn’t legal anyway. That’s called bigamy. She’d been gone and out of our lives for years by that time.” Kelly shook her head. Sighing deeply she looked around the shop. “I guess we should go home now grandpa. I think Caden has caused enough trouble for us for one day.”

  “You aren’t going anywhere little girl.” Mountain growled.

  Byron stepped closer to Kelly. “You need to stay here with me. There’s too much trouble happening around you and Joe.”

  Kelly tilted her head at him.

  Deke looked over at Kelly as he smiled. “Better settle in there, cuz you belong here with us.”

  Kelly looked like she was about to say something, but Joe stopped her. “We’ll be safe here while this plays out. I’m an old man, they can’t hurt me anymore, but they could come after you. I can’t protect you like they can.”

  Kelly studied the old man she called Gramps and nodded slowly. “Ok grandpa. I can’t do this without you, where you go, I go.”

  “Then it’s settled, you and your grandfather will stay here with us until this is settled,” Mountain stated.

  “I just want to say I don’t appreciate this. I’ve always stood on my own two feet,” Kelly stated. “I didn’t believe Caden would ever hurt me.” She raised her hand to her jaw. “At least, I never thought he would. Now I’m not so sure. While I’m not afraid of my mother, I don’t want to see her again either. There’s just too many lies and too much pain associated with her and I don’t need that on top of everything else so I’ll stay here with you and accept your protection as long as my grandfather is under your protection as well.”

  “He is,” Mountain agreed.

  “Then we’re good aren’t we?” Kelly got up and went back over to the engine.

  Joe watched her go and shook his head. He looked back at the bikers and the Morgan brothers. “She’ll come around. She just needs to get her bearings again. All this has been too much for her.”

  “Is her mother a danger to her?” Sam asked.

  Joe stared at them for a moment then nodded. “She could be. That woman is truly a piece of work. She’d lie and cheat for what she wanted and she don’t give a shit who she hurts. So yeah, she could be dangerous to Kelly. She certainly never was mother material to her.”

  Sam nodded. “Don’t you worry about her then. We’ll keep an eye on her.”

  Joe nodded then hesitated briefly. He turned away but before he could get very far Mountain asked, “What is it old man? We can’t protect you or her if you keep secrets.”

  Joe shrugged. “It isn’t anything really, but back in the day when Dom and I were working the track, we used to hear rumors about how Ted had this woman. He was crazy about her. She was Jack’s mother but no one knew who she was. I was just wondering if Candy wasn’t that woman. When she would leave Dom she always ended up with Ted.” Shrugging again he told them, “I never asked because it wasn’t my business you know? But now I’m thinking Jack and Caden are full brothers. They’re both the same in too many ways and I do believe they both take after their parents. Both are selfish and think they are entitled.”

  Byron swung his eyes to Kelly. “Does she know that?”

  Joe shook his head. “No, I couldn’t break her heart like that. She still loves her brother.” Joe turned to look at his granddaughter. “Although, I think she’s beginning to let him go after this.”

  Deke studied Joe’s face. “Is the money gone? From your son’s life insurance? Like you told the kid?”

  Joe shook his head. “I haven’t touched that money. I made enough to survive and bring up those kids. That money belongs to Dom’s child.”

  “You said child,” Mountain said. “You mean Kelly don’t you?”

  Joe nodded. “Dom would never admit it but he often used to talk about how Caden reminded him of someone and that someone wasn’t him. He knew Caden wasn’t his but when Candy left him behind, he couldn’t see giving him up. He always told me he would never turn away a kid who needed him. And from the time that kid was born and he held him for the first time that boy was his. He didn’t care that the boy’s mother walked out on him, he said the kid needed him. My Dom was a good man.” He looked over at Kelly again. “When I found out for sure Caden wasn’t her brother, I switched his share over to Kelly. It’s all in her name like it should be.”

  “And the money you gave him today?” Deke wanted to know.

  Joe shook his head. “I have no idea where she got that. She never told me anything. I had no idea she saved that money.”

  Byron’s finger tightened into fists. “She gave him her own money?”

  “She must have, she didn’t ask me for anything.” Joe looked troubled.

  “So let us look into things and see what we can find out about the players in this little drama,” Deke suggested as he raised a brow at Mountain. “You and Kelly stay here, Joe. You’ll be safe and you guys can work on the engine.”

  Joe snorted. “Yeah, that might work for a few days, but Kelly has to work this weekend. Today is only Monday, and I doubt even you guys can work that fast.”

  Sam threw his head back and laughed out loud. “Old man, you might just be surprised what we can do.”

  “I may be an old man, son, but even I know you can’t reveal a lifetime of secrets in three days,” Joe snapped.

  “She won’t be going to work anytime soon,” Byron assured Joe. “I’ll talk to Amanda.”

  Joe looked over at the other man. “Son, I’m only gonna give you one warning, don’t break my granddaughter’s heart. Or you and I are going to go head to head. Now you might beat the hell out of me but that will only land you in jail. If that happens, the real one you got to worry about is Kelly. She will fuck you up every which way but loose.”

  Byron chuckled. “Oh, I have no doubt about that.”

  Joe nodded. “She can be vindictive like that but that’s one of her charms.”

  Byron raised an eyebrow. “I’ll have to take your word for that.”

  “She’s worth it if you ask me,” Joe spoke quietly. “She’s got the best heart you’ll find anywhere and once she loves you, you’ll never have a reason to doubt her.”

  “Why are you telling me all this?” Byron asked quietly.

  His brothers sniggered and chuckled.

  He swung his puzzled gaze over at them. “What’s so dammed funny?”

  The all looked away or put their hands into their jean pockets. Mountain simply shrugged as his smile never slipped.

  Joe didn’t give Byron an answer as he shrugged then turned and joined Kelly. She was setting the smaller pieces into place, fitting the gaskets in place to hold the pistons. They began talking about what they wanted to get from the parts they had available.

  Deke, Sam and the brothers left to begin the research they needed to identify the players.

  Mountain stood next to Byron and Dante and watched as Kelly and Joe worked on the engine.

  Wes came over wiping his hands with a rag. “I’m thinking me and ole Blue should probably stay here for a few nights,” he told the brothers.

  Mountain raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh, you do, do you? And why would that be? You don’t think we can take care of a girl and an old man?”

  Wes shook his head. “I know you can take care of those two, that’s not what concerns me.”

  “Then what does concern you?” Dante asked with a frown.

  “I’m remembered dome of the things that happened twenty years ago. When I was younger, I used to work the Daytona pits. I loved the smell of diesel and grease. There was an intensity working those pits like no other I’ve ever seen. It was something in the air that was so heavy you
were worried it might burn you up with the electrical hum that never went away. I would work on the cars that could go faster than any normal man could think they should go. That place had so much drama going on behind the scenes. You would not believe the stories I could tell you.”

  “Get to the point old man,” Mountain grumbled.

  “I remember Ted McGee. I remember Dominick Abalone. I used to watch them race. I also remember Candy Abalone. She was a beautiful woman back then. And just like nowadays, beautiful women are dangerous women. She would watch the track when the drivers were racing but her eyes were not on her husband. They followed Ted’s ride. She may have been Dominick’s wife but her eyes always followed Ted. And she looked at him in a way no married woman should ever look at another man.”

  “And you think she’d be stupid enough to come here looking for her daughter?” Dante asked.

  “No, but she might be thinking she could do something to the engine you’re working one,” Wes suggested. “I have a feeling, young Jack might try to set you up to race him, and if he’s anything like his daddy, he’ll cheat to win.”

  Byron snorted. “He want’s one of the hot rods not a race. He knows I’ll beat him hands down in a race.”

  Wes shrugged. “Maybe you would if it were a fair race but not one set against a McGee.”

  Mountain thought about what Wes was suggesting. He looked over at his brothers and nodded. “Maybe the man’s got a point. Maybe an extra set of eyes wouldn’t hurt. At least until we get a camera set up to cover the garage. I can talk to Zipper about setting it up. He can set it up so no one but us will know it’s even there.” He looked over at Wes. “That is if we can impose on you and ole Blue to give up a few nights for us.”

  Wes shook his head. “I’m not doing this for you guys.” He turned his head and gazed at Kelly. “I remember the day her dad hit that fuckin wall. I saw the look of devastation and loss in her eyes. I heard her screams when she realized what was gonna happen. And that my friends is something I will never forget as long as I live. If my giving up a few nights sleeping in my own bed helps her to heal, then I’ll sacrifice a few nights. For her and only for her.”